We characterize the class of RFD $C^{\ast }$-algebras as those containing a dense subset of elements that attain their norm under a finite-dimensional representation. We show further that this subset is the whole space precisely when every irreducible representation of the $C^{\ast }$-algebra is finite-dimensional, which is equivalent to the $C^{\ast }$-algebra having no simple infinite-dimensional AF subquotient. We apply techniques from this proof to show the existence of elements in more general classes of $C^{\ast }$-algebras whose norms in finite-dimensional representations fit certain prescribed properties.

In the spirit of the axiomatic approach by Rogers (1998) we show the equivalence between a set of assumptions on the behaviour of prices and the existence of a representation of these prices as conditional expectations. We rely on only weak assumptions and avoid any a priori modelling of negligible events or of any market filtration. Rather, both endogenously emerge along with the representation as conditional expectations.

We deduce properties of the Koopman representation of a positive entropy probability measure-preserving action of a countable, discrete, sofic group. Our main result may be regarded as a‘representation-theoretic’ version of Sinaǐ’s factor theorem. We show that probability measure-preserving actions with completely positive entropy of an infinite sofic group must be mixing and, if the group is nonamenable, have spectral gap. This implies that if $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$ is a nonamenable group and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}\curvearrowright (X,\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$ is a probability measure-preserving action which is not strongly ergodic, then no action orbit equivalent to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}\curvearrowright (X,\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$ has completely positive entropy. Crucial to these results is a formula for entropy in the presence of a Polish, but a priori noncompact, model.

We offer a Lebesgue-type decomposition of a representable functional on a *-algebra into absolutely continuous and singular parts with respect to another. Such a result was proved by Zs. Szűcs due to a general Lebesgue decomposition theorem of S. Hassi, H.S.V. de Snoo, and Z. Sebestyén concerning non-negative Hermitian forms. In this paper, we provide a self-contained proof of Szűcs' result and in addition we prove that the corresponding absolutely continuous parts are absolutely continuous with respect to each other.

Suppose that $G$ is a second countable, locally compact Hausdorff groupoid with abelian stabiliser subgroups and a Haar system. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the groupoid ${C}^{\ast } $-algebra to have Hausdorff spectrum. In particular, we show that the spectrum of ${C}^{\ast } (G)$ is Hausdorff if and only if the stabilisers vary continuously with respect to the Fell topology, the orbit space ${G}^{(0)} / G$ is Hausdorff, and, given convergent sequences ${\chi }_{i} \rightarrow \chi $ and ${\gamma }_{i} \cdot {\chi }_{i} \rightarrow \omega $ in the dual stabiliser groupoid $\widehat{S}$ where the ${\gamma }_{i} \in G$ act via conjugation, if $\chi $ and $\omega $ are elements of the same fibre then $\chi = \omega $.

Every continuous Volterra right inverse to the derivative in the space of complex-valued infinitely differentiable functions has the form of an integral.